Sunday, August 26, 2001		Article

The Coffee Man Shop in London

IT is said that the last words of Napoleon were for a cup of coffee. With such an illustrious example from history, and gourmet coffee shops increasing in all Indian metros, I set out to find out the cup of costliest coffee in the world. Vienna is famous for its coffee shops, but for me London was a better place to search, as one could converse in English with the shopkeepers/aficionados. At London airport, the famous coffee firm of Starbucks had their coffee shop and sipping one cup of their best coffee available (the small regular size-as much as equivalent to four "dabras" of the Bombay Udipis), asked them for costlier coffees. The man in the counter, evidently a coffee expert, told me that while Starbucks had the best coffee for the general public, if I want to find out about the coffee for the elite, I should go to H.R. Higgins (Coffee Man) Ltd at 79 Duke Street, off Oxford Street.

At the above coffee gourmet shop, I was amazed at the amount of coffee minutiae displayed, from giant coffee pots to individual coffee filters for two cups of coffee. The owner’s representative, Frederick was willing to discuss the topic of coffee and I found that he had for sale as many of 70 types of coffee powder for sale, ranging from our own Indian coffee (Mysore blend) to special coffees from Peru.

I asked him as to why more varieties of Indian coffee were not displayed. He said apologetically, that while Mysore blend was "good", it was not "top of the pops" and added that Indian coffee was mainly used by them to blend with other coffees. For a person, like me, nurtured to believe that the Mysore Coffee was the best in the world, it was a shock.

Then, Frederick showed me the various types of coffees, from Ethiopian to Indonesian. It was astonishing to find that coffee was listed, according to more moods, than one can think of the vagaries of an Indian film actress. For example, the Kenyan coffee was rated higher that the Indian varieties and was described as "Perfectly balanced, with wonderful, intense flavours. It’s a full-on taste experience without being heavy. Bright, complex, fruity, hints of grapefruit.. Very good hot or iced." Our own Mysore coffee was given out as "A mellow full-flavoured coffee displaying a gentle acidity, recommended to those who enjoy mild coffee but with distinct character".

Among the varieties of coffees the shop had, there were some noted for the strength (known politely as body & depth) at 18 pounds (Rs.1260) a kilo like, Santos Supremo from Brazil. Frederick deprecated the fact, that nowadays flavoured coffee was becoming more saleable and that there were as many as 130 flavours, ranging from vanilla to orange. In his opinion, while he continued to sell the flavoured coffee for the sake of business, it was not the correct way to appreciate coffee.

Then I asked him as to what was the costliest coffee in the world. He went to the counter, and brought samples of dark roasted berries and told me "This is Blue Mountain Jamaica the costliest coffee in the world-priced at 85 sterling Pounds ( 6000 rupees a kg). Blue Mountain Jamaica.. Produced at over 5000 feet above sea-level on the beautiful tropical island of Jamaica, this coffee has an excellent cup quality with a subtle delicacy and very mild acidity. The classification Blue Mountain is given only to coffee from the eastern parts of St Thomas, Portland and St Andrews (Jamaican islands). Increasing demand has resulted in the scarcity of this unique coffee and this is reflected in the price".

I did quick thinking and asked him as to what was the costliest Indian coffee he had.. The Best Mysore he had cost about 15 pounds (1050 rupees) per kg. I thought, this stuff costs in Bombay about 180 rupees per kg and here six times as much.. As such the Blue Mountain Jamaica should cost-in fairness-about Rs 1000 , if available in Bombay. (Some coffee experts might want to murder me for this statement). The rest of our talk went on to the different items people expect out of coffee and the fact that like, tea, the altitude of the place where the coffee is grown has much to do with its daintiness. He said that recent trouble in Peru had brought down the coffee production and for the general connoisseur the Lima blend of Peruvian coffee was the best.

He told me that whatever coffee he was selling at the shop, was available for the connoisseur to taste in his basement cafe, at a moderate price. He did not want to say subsidised, but I guess he meant it.I went down and ordered a pot of "Blue Mountain Jamaica". After 15 minutes, (the coffee is brewed only after you order it), it came in a novel type of filter, that would retain the aroma as well as flavour. It costs about 4 Pounds or Rs 280 for two cup/pot, as compared to the coffee available in the McDonalds at 90 pence or Rs 60 for a regular paper cup. If you order Blue Mountain Jamaica in quality restaurants, you can expect a bill of five pounds (Rs 330 ) a cup.

Well..... the Blue Mountain Jamaica coffee was good.. But, used to as I was for decades of drinking the South Indian filter Coffee, it did not make any grand impact. It was ok and the fact that it was the costliest coffee in the world, made me feel that I had a lot to tell my friends and my wife..

Thinking of wife the coffee-maker I married 44 years ago, I went up from the basement and asked Frederick as to what was the strongest coffee he had. He said that Sumatra Blend known politely as "Very Dark Roasted Coffee" at 19 pounds (roughly Rs 1300 per kg) was the strongest. To quote Frederick "These coffees are blended to develop their characters and enlarge in the higher roasting temperatures. Their glossy appearance is because, the natural oils within the beans have been released. These Coffees are more powerful than medium and dark roasts, but none are harsh or bitter".

I ordered one hundred gms of Sumatra Blend Rs 130 I might not be able to afford the costliest coffee, but I could take for her the strongest one.